APLICA warns of safety risks from unregulated agricultural drones

The Asociación de Aplicadores Aéreos (APLICA) has issued a warning regarding the dangers posed by unregulated agricultural drones in the Dominican Republic. The association stated that the lack of oversight for unmanned aircraft threatens the operational safety of both civil and agricultural aviation.

Following previous requests for a working meeting with the Instituto Dominicano de Aviación Civil (IDAC) that went unaddressed, a collision recently occurred between an irregular spraying drone and a Cessna A188B Ag Truck belonging to the company Agricultura Aérea, S. A. The accident, which occurred during a scheduled flight in Mao, Valverde, affected pilot Ángel Matías.

APLICA is calling for urgent coordination with IDAC to establish technical and operational mechanisms to ensure safe coexistence between traditional crop-dusting aircraft and new drone technologies.